Tina Malone could face prison time after sharing James Bulger's killer photo

Actress Tina Malone has revealed she faces contempt of court and up to two years’ prison time after sharing images on social media of James Bulger’s killer John Venables.

The 55-year-old former Shameless star said on Facebook that she’d been served papers from the High Court, and the Attorney General’s Office confirmed has confirmed it has sent her a summons.

Malone shared the news over several panicky Facebook posts. One read: ‘I need a lawyer ASAP! I’ve been committed to the High Court!’ and another: ‘I’ve had a wonderful day until I opened my front door five minutes ago! The High Court have served me.’

Venables and Robert Thompson murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993 and were given new names – to protect their identity.

Protected under the terms of a lifelong injunction, it is a punishable offence to reveal their new identities or whereabouts.

Technically Malone could serve up to two years for the offence, or alternatively be served a suspended sentence if found guilty.

In 2013 Neil Harkins, 35, and Dean Liddle, 28 posted photos of who they believed to be adult Venables and Thompson – 20 years after Bulger’s murder.

Both were served nine months sentences, suspended for 15 months, for being in contempt of court.

Malone’s tweeted image was published last year, but is now only being served for the offence.

Speaking in March 2018 she defended her actions and told the Daily Star: ‘The police are only doing their job and if they’re going to caution me, arrest me, pull me in, or give me a slap on the wrist, I get that. They’d better be going for the two million other people who have shared Venables’ picture.

‘Here I am posting a picture of a self-confessed paedo child-killer who has built a manual on how to rape a baby, yet I’m the one being threatened and vilified and possibly going to prison. You know what, do the crime, do the time,” she told the paper.

Malone is an ambassador of The James Bulger Memorial Trust and friends with Bulger’s mother Denise Ferguson and her husband Stuart Ferguson.

Denise and Stewart have recently spoken against the Oscar-nominated film Detainment about James’ murder.

They spoke on This Morning about the film on Thursday, with Denise claiming it was like ‘reliving the nightmare’ all over again and requested for the film’s director, Vincent Lambe, to pull the movie from the Oscar nominations.

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